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Varget & .243 win.

My Lyman book shows Varget being used as the preferred choice of propellants on some bullet loads. I've talked with guys at the range & it seems the general consensus is about 50 - 50.
50% love it, 50% would go with something else.

Anything I need to know about it before I buy any?

I'm having good results with RL-19, IMR4064, IMR4350 & H-4381-sc. As most of y'all already know, good results are OK.... Great results are better & OCD means I'll never be satisfied with the results.

Last week on the 200yd line, 4 rounds of 55gr Nosler's with 41.7gr of 4064 made the neatest looking cloverleaf. But, I believe in my heart.... Deep in my soul.... I feel implicitly, my .243 can do better.

SO........ Tell me about Varget. Can I live without it or do I need to run out & get a couple cans?

I've had good luck with it my 243's and 308.Mostly with lighter bullets.I think the burn rate is about the same as 4064,maybe a little faster. As with any other variable in handloading,you never know until you try.

My go to in 243 with 55gr bullets is 45gr of Varget, and when it is not available 45gr of RL15 has the same burn rate, both send those 55 Nosler's down stream at over 4000FPS and are excellent powders,

You can definitly live without it.
As to getting the 55 Snozlers to 4,000, it is not a trick; Win 760 can do that for heaven's sake!!

Problem I have with Varget, is it's flame temps. Similar to alot of the Vhit powders, THEY BURN HOT! For the same velocities, Varget heats barrels MUCH quicker.
I used it in my 308: Ran into pressures, and heating issues much faster than with Win 748.
In my 243: Barrel heat with Varget is attrocious! Win 760/H414(same powder) is a better choice. I'm early-on in testing, but for light bullets I'm impressed with CFE 223.

Varget is a GREAT powder, and works very well in a 6BR. The powder is close in burn rate to 4895. The only problem with varget is it will very from lot to lot, so pay attention when buying more. Varget works well in 22/250, 223 rem, 204 Ruger, 22 Br 6 Br, and many other cases. Varget doesn't seam to be as temprature sensitive as other powders. It burns fairly clean. IMO everyone should have 4895, and varget in there powder cabinets.

For a 243, I would recamend Benchmark for lighter bullets, and 4350 for heavier bullets. Those 2 powders I have found work the best in a 243.

Patrick
"To win in bench rest, you dont have to shoot small groups, you just can't shoot any big ones." ;)

Ya know.... As I read all the info y'all have put up, It suddenly kick another memory section online & I'm reminded of all the different reasons for not wanting to use Varget. Among the most important (to me) was the inconsistancy of different batches.
The 2nd was the hi temp.

OK.... That settles it. No Varget for Frank. I'm concerned too much already that I'm melting the inside of my .243 & 25.06 from the amount of shooting I do.

I guess it always best to go with what ya know.

I've been doing OK with the powders I mentioned & I believe I'll continue to do well with them. I suppose I should start weighing in 100ths of a grain. That'll keep the 'ol OCD working hard.

Thanks to everyone that was good enough to share your input with me. Gotta go. Still, another lightning storm. I gotta beat the cat to a good spot under the bed.

Varget is one of Hodgdons' "extreme" powders,meaning they're not effected by ambient temperature as other powders.I think that unless you're firing one round after another of max loads,flame temp. shouldn't be an issue.As long as you let things cool between strings or space out your shots,I don't believe we'll be melting down our barrels.

I think that unless you're firing one round after another of max loads,flame temp. shouldn't be an issue.As long as you let things cool between strings or space out your shots,I don't believe we'll be melting down our barrels.

I have got to agree with 243LRP here. I have run a few different powders, and I can't say that I have ever noticed my barrel getting hotter faster with one than the other. Personally I think caliber choice dictates more on "expected" barrel life than the powder choice, but even then how fast you shoot has a major impact as well.

Can't say that I have ever noticed major differences in lots either. Up until 6 months ago I was buying Varget by the pound (rarely of the same lot), and now by the 8lb. jug, mostly to cut costs. I can not say that I ever noticed any difference in lots, but I ussually run the lower velocity accuracy node, to help brass life and barrel life, so by not running on the edge of maximum any differences may be hidden to me, or maybe I am just lucky so far.

Oddball chamberings are way more fun! Especially if they are in 6mm or 44cal.

Frank, being a "suthurn" boy too, I like the Varget and shoot it exclusively currently. It works with the temperature swings from the Great White North @ 30 below to the Deep South @ 100 Deg.
It gives me very little variation between POI and pressure in the two environments. That is the selling point for me.

God grant me the serenity to accept the shots I cannot make, the ability to make the shots I can, and the wisdom to hide the bad targets.